When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor of the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn't afford the operation because her family was poor.

    Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（阁楼）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, whoauthenticatedthe story as O. Henry's.

My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.

My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it could have been better than his own story.

    A big storm took us by surprise. We didn't 1 to be hit hard so we didn't leave our home. When we realized our yard was 2and more water was coming, it was too late to move.

    We had to climb on3of the roof (屋顶) to get away from the water after it started entering the house. The 4 went off, it was extremely dark and we were 5 We had to tie ourselves to each other, because the 6 was very strong. I had my laptop with me and kept posting cries for7 We stayed on the roof for eight hours 8 we were rescued.

    It was a 9 night. Some people lost their lives. Many houses were completely 10 Our neighbor's roof was blown away.11 although our house was also hit, it remained intact (完整的).

    At present, we keep going back, taking many photos—an requirement 12 the insurance company. We expect them to make an assessment of the damage, and then hopefully,13 our losses. And I'm particularly 14 that my university projects were lost. That means more work for me and I am due to graduate in December.

    We are now 15 at a friend's house in Brooklyn. We won't be able to return to our house in months. There's no information about the support for the 16 of this storm. All we hear is to go to the shelter.

    But now I'm 17 because my family and I are alive. And it's important to18 that there are still people 19 food, shelter, or gas in the cold weather. It's a truly terrible time for the city now but I believe everything will 20.

    I went with some colleagues from my office for a dinner in a very popular local restaurant. It was 1 business time and the restaurant was crowded. We 2found a table in a comer for three of us.

    As soon as we sat down，we heard a crash when a cleaning boy 3the floor with all the plates he was carrying. There was 4 and no one was saying or doing anything.

    In a flash I remembered mv 5 many years ago. Once, I 6 in the airport because 1 had rushed there on my own on an empty stomach. I was picked up and taken care of by two 7. Now this was my chance to 8 it forward.

    I ran to the young man's side immediately, turned him on his back and screamed for someone to 9 a hot drink. Soon people started asking if I was a doctor. I said I was not, 10 I was skillful at blacking out（晕厥）.

    The kid soon opened his eves, 11what had happened. I12 him by saying it was OK and I had had a 13 experience. He had not eaten anything. I held the 14drink to his mouth till he finished it and sat with him till he felt OK. By then the 15 had arrived. I asked her to give the kid something to eat. I offered to pay.

    The manager was kind enough to refuse the 16 and agreed to make sure the kid ate before he went home. By the time all this was 17 it was getting late for my colleagues. We hadn't 18 anything yet，so they decided to go home.

    I slowly walked home, not hungry any more, feeling 19 for the opportunity I pay forward the 20 I had received many years ago.

    As a banker, Chip Paillex had never planted so much until he moved to rural Pittstown, New Jersey, seven years ago. 1by farms, he quickly became interested in growing and rented a 30-by-30-foot land. One weekend, he 2tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant—enough to feed his family for the summer.

He ended up with so much 3that he couldn't give it away. Thus he founded a local food 4, and by the time he delivered his last5, he had 6120 pounds of fresh vegetables.

    The following year, with a handful of 7from his church and a memorable name “America's Grow-a-Row”, Paillex planted,8,and harvested 2,500 pounds of vegetables, all of which he donated to food banks. Later he had more volunteers, rented more land and donated more vegetables.

    Paillex also 9 local school kids. On a 10Friday morning in May, 40 third and fifth graders trooped onto a freshly plowed field, each 11with a spade. Squatting or kneeling in teams of two, they loosened the dirt, then carefully12the plants .Several rows later, they eagerly lined up to seed corn under a hot mid-morning sun. Nobody 13.

    “The 14makes kids know there are people 15, says Paillex, “and it plants the seed for giving back. When they become tomorrow's 16, it will be much more possible for them to 17 their coworkers and employees to get 18 in something like this.

    “Paillex makes people want to 19,” says Colleen Duerr, a mother of two who has signed on as an 20“Grow-a-Row” member. “And families love this. Pallex has given us a way to raise our kids with a giving heart.”

Cali Scores a Goal

    It was the last game of the season. Cali had been playing soccer all summer. She really enjoyed 1 around with the other players in her blue uniform, chasing the black and white ball across the grassy field. As much as she tried, 2, Cali still had not scored one single goal.

    "Don't give up," said her coach. He showed Cali and her team how to pass the ball to each other and take shots at the goal. Cali was pretty good at passing the ball, but she couldn't kick the ball 3 the goalkeeper. She wondered if she should 4 soccer.

    "Don't give up," said her teammates. "You just need to keep trying and you will get 5 ." So Cali stayed on the team and did her best.

    "Don't give up," said Aunt Lisa. But it was half-time, and Cali was feeling 6 . She was trying! Every time she got a(an) 7 to kick the ball, it would go in the 8 direction or a player from the other team would take control of it.

    The break was over and the referee(裁判) blew her whistle to 9 the game again. The two 10 walked back onto the field, both 11 to win. Cali heard her aunt whisper in her ear. "Look for an opportunity to get the ball. You can do it."

    Cali took a deep breath. 12 she didn't get one goal all summer, she knew that she had tried her best. She dreamed she'd leave her team after the game was over. Suddenly, she was woken by some 13 that was the sweet, happy jingle of the ice cream truck. It was driving right beside the soccer field, playing its music loudly to attract 14 .

    The players on both teams turned to 15 at it. A few girls pointed to it and cheered. The soccer game had nearly stopped. Cali looked around and saw the soccer ball close by, 16 by the nearest player from the other team. Cali dashed over to the ball. She dribbled(带球) it between her feet, moving forward toward the net of the yellow team. By the time the other girls had 17 , Cali was positioned right in front of the net. The goalkeeper was 18 to one side, looking at the ice cream truck. She turned back 19 to guard the net as Cali kicked the ball hard.

    The keeper 20 out her gloved hand. The ball touched the tips of her fingers as it swooshed past, right into the net. "Goal!"

Alexis, 17, sat quietly in the passenger seat of her dad's car. She let her eyes lazily scan the landscape for wildlife. Then a deer came into 1 about 200 yards in front of them. It was a male deer with 2 antlers (角)on each side of its head.

As the car moved closer, Alexis heard a 3 and then saw the deer 4 a woman. Sue had been out for her morning run. The deer followed her and edged 5. "I knew I was in trouble, " Sue says. She went to pick up a stick for 6, and the deer 7. It lifted her with its antlers and 8 her into the air. Sue could feel blood flew down her leg.

When Alexis and her father 9, the deer was throwing Sue like a doll. Alexis looked into the woman's 10 eyes, and 11 her father had even stopped the car, the teenager 12 quickly out of the car and ran toward the deer. "I was kicking it to get its 13," she says. Then her father followed and pushed the deer away from the women.

Alexis helped Sue into the car. Then she heard her father shout 14 . He had been knocked to the ground. Alexis took hold of a hammer from the car to beat the deer's head and neck, but the blows didn't 15 it away. "I was losing faith," she says. "A couple more 16, Alexis," said her father. "You can do it. "Turning the hammer around, Alexis 17 her eyes and beat the deer's neck with all her 18. When she opened her eyes, the deer was running away. Alexis got in the driver's seat and 19 toward the nearest hospital. After Sue was treated, she 20 thanked her rescuers.